Writing Objective Police Reports

The objectivity requirement means that police reports may include only observable, objective facts. Reports cannot refer to an officer’s intuition, hunches, experience, or reasoning processes. The objectivity requirement also prohibits officers from stating opinions, drawing conclusions, and exhibiting bias in their reports.

Your police training is likely to include information about the status of local, state, and federal laws relating to marijuana (cannabis), a psychoactive drug and popular recreational substance. Because of current controversies about the enforcement of marijuana laws, police officers should keep abreast of research studies and changes in local and state ordinances concerning marijuana.

Your police training will provide you useful guidelines for conducting interviews with various groups of people with special needs, including children. When interviewing a child, take particular care when selecting the setting and planning the direction your questions will take. Be aware of possible pitfalls: You don’t want to re-traumatize a child who’s been victimized, and you don’t want the information to be compromised because the child is intimidated or confused by your questions.

Your police training will include information about the recent explosion in addiction to prescription painkillers and heroin. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the US is experiencing the worst drug epidemic in its history, with demographics much broader than it has seen in the past. Many middle-aged white rural and suburban Americans are becoming addicted and dying of overdoses.

Your police training will prepare you to handle domestic violence calls, which can involve a variety of intimate situations; partners may be married or living together, heterosexual or same sex. Often there is a longstanding pattern that may include intimidation, controlling behavior, and violence. Your responsibilities will include maintaining control of the situation, uncovering and […]

Police equipment such as sirens, radios, riot gear, and armored vehicles conveys a powerful message about the presence of law enforcement and its readiness to take charge. In some situations, however, police equipment can have a negative effect. Police officers need to consider both advantages and potential hazards when they’re selecting equipment for dealing with […]

Sensitivity to victims is important in police interviews, especially with victims of rape, domestic violence, and sexual predation. Advice, lecturing, and blame can shut down an interview, hampering an investigation. Sensitivity creates trust and encourages victims to share information and cooperate with law enforcement.

Your police training will include information about teenagers who participate in “cyber bullying” and “sexting.” These popular behaviors employ electronic technology with potentially devastating effects. Cyber bullying is a form of harassment via texting and social networking sites (Facebook, for example.) “Sexting” usually means that two people in a consensual relationship are sending each other […]

Your police training will cover the rights guaranteed to all Americans under the US Constitution. Even when evidence is overwhelming, every suspect is guaranteed the right to remain silent, obtain legal representation, and be treated as an innocent person until guilt is decided in a court of law. You will need to be familiar with […]

Your police training will include instruction about the American judicial system. You will learn how courts function and how law enforcement is affected by appeals at various levels, including the Supreme Court.

An understanding of bias is an important component of police officer training programs. Law enforcement experts have developed practical guidelines to minimize the chance that citizens who are unhappy about a traffic citation will claim they were the victims of bias.

Police officer safety requires constant awareness of the potential danger of firearms. Officers should be aware of the hazards of both overconfidence and overreacting in encounters with an armed suspect.

Professionalism is an important topic in any police training program. Complex political factors and legal restrictions create challenges for police officers that call for professional communication skills and problem-solving strategies. Professionalism wins respect for you and your agency, enhancing the likelihood that you will prevail in a difficult situation.